1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of materials for use in mechanical systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique for rendering surfaces corrosion-resistant and stain-resistant for use in food and beverage, chemical, marine, and similar potentially corrosive applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of applications exist for a device to be used in an environment, which may degrade, corrode or otherwise attack the metal used to construct the device. For example, in many chemical and marine environments, water, and other liquids, as well as trace chemicals such as salts, corrosives, acids, and the like in the air surrounding a bearing assembly may chemically attack the metal components used in the bearing assembly. In other applications, such as in the food and beverage industry, frequent wash downs of production or processing lines with water and detergents or high pressure steam may both chemically and mechanically attack metal components of the production lines. In either case, degradation of the bearing components may take the form of oxidation products, such as white or red rust formed on ferrous substrates, or staining of the bearing components.
In applications such as those in the food and beverage industry, this degradation is unacceptable, and may call for immediate replacement of affected bearings, leading to additional expense and possible down time. Therefore, a need exists for a technique to prevent degradation of metal components in harsh operating environments.